SXFive Fe standby and script creation

[theo_nt]

Hi all,
there is an option "Close Fe Gun Valve Afterwards" in Automate. What exactly this option is doing? Where is the beam and what is the beam  current after using this option.

The beam OFF now is doing using  beam deflection to the faraday cup. As a result, with time the plates responsible for the beam deflection  will be contaminated having as result the degradation of the image quality and the dificulties to work in submicron area.

We try to delay the contamination in using this script with the Cameca software:

size 0
spf wait 0.2
gun Xhigh 999
spf wait 0.2
faraday off
spf wait 0.2

This script reduces the BC to few pA so that the plates will not be easily contaminated.


Question: can we use such a script which is made by interpreter commands with Probe Software? Can this script be implemented and how?


thanks in advance for your help

Theo

[John Donovan]

Hi Theo,
I moved this post to the Cameca board.

Control of the FE gun valve is only available for JEOL 8530 instruments (Cameca has not provided the comms call to us and we have not tried to reverse engineer it).

But you can edit these settings in your Probewin.ini file in the [hardware] section:

FilamentStandbyPresent=1   ; non-zero = enable filament standby feature
FilamentStandbyType=3      ; 0 = reduce heat only, 1 = reduce heat and keV, 2 = reduce keV only, 3 = external script
FilamentStandbyExternalScript="Your batch file, script or app here"

This is documented in the PFE Reference Manual here:

FilamentStandbyPresent=0
This parameter is used to specify whether the microprobe hardware interface supports a filament standby mode for
turning the filament off using the software automation. Enter 0 for false or any non-zero value for true. The default is 0
for no filament standby hardware interface.

FilamentStandbyType=0
The filament standby type for tungsten instruments (ThermalFieldEmissionPresent=0). The default is zero to just reduce
the heat to the standby level. To reduce the heat AND turn off the HV, set FilamentStandbyType = 1. To only reduce the
HV but leave the heat on (LaB6 filaments), set FilamentStandbyType = 2. To run an external script, set
FilamentStandbyType = 3.

If the instrument is a JEOL 8530 the FilamentStandbyType has no effect, and this feature will simply close the gun valve
(V1) in filament standby mode (ON) and open the gun valve in filament standby mode (OFF)- assuming the specimen
vacuum is within the allowable range.

FilamentStandbyExternalScript=””
The name of the external script to be run if the FilamentStandbyType = 3. This can be any executable, e.g., .exe, .bat,
etc. The full path to the external script must be specified, e.g., “C:\UserData\Shutdown.bat”.

If you have ideas on how this feature could be improved please let us know.

As for implementing this particular Cameca script I assume that Probe for EPMA is running on a different computer than the PeakSight software? I believe these scripts are executed through a serial RS-232 port on the instrument from the Cameca computer, correct? Do you know if there is a secondary serial port you can connect the PFE computer to? Then you would just save this script on the PFE PC and use HyperTerminal or some other serial comms software to send the script to the Cameca instrument. That should be possible I would think.

john

[theo_nt]

Thanks John,

I assume that changing the ini file the standby option will be executed each time after an analysis will finish. This is not what we would like to have. The standby option should be used when we need it, e.g. after finishing a scheduled task (mapping or profiles or large number of individual analyses) in the midnight or later.

I see the problem with scripts, but can you make a button in Automate just to bring Xhigh to 999 and the C2 to 4000 when desired? This will solve our problem.

Theo

[John Donovan]

I assume that changing the ini file the standby option will be executed each time after an analysis will finish.

Hi Theo,
No. The filament standby mode (lower heat and/or hv or run external app or script) will only happen after the automation finishes from the Automate! window *and* if the Use Filament Standby checkbox is checked.

Isn't that what you want?
john

[theo_nt]

Hi John,

yes, this  is what we want. However, the standby function should put the Gun XHI to the value of 999,  the C2 to the value 4000 and shoud not affect any other parameter.

Theo

[John Donovan]

Hi Theo,
Oh, oh, oh!  I have an idea!

We need to make this "filament standby" option work for both JEOL and Cameca instruments of all types. But it sounds to me as though we could simply have a new filament standby option which calls the "Load Column Condition" function for a probe column condition file (*.PCC) that you have previously saved with the specific column parameters that you want for filament standby.

So instead of launching an external application for filament standby, the software would instead load a specified .PCC file from the probewin.ini file. Have you tried the .PCC "Load Probe Column Condition File" menu in PFE?

I'll tell you what, try saving a column condition from the PFE Window menu with the exact filament standby options you want (please make sure it is using an *unregulated* beam current!), and then bring the beam back up (using a normal .PCC file), and then load the "filament standby.PCC file you created previously and see if that does what you want. It should work.

If you are happy with that I will modify the code to have a new option for filament standby that loads a specified .PCC file when the automation completes! 

How does that sound?

[theo_nt]

Hi John,

yes, it works

Theo

[John Donovan]

Hi John,

yes, it works

Theo

OK then. Give me a day or two and I'll try and implement this.

Good idea everyone!   

[John Donovan]

Hi John,

yes, this  is what we want. However, the standby function should put the Gun XHI to the value of 999,  the C2 to the value 4000 and shoud not affect any other parameter.

Theo

Hi Theo,
Ok, we just uploaded a new version of Probe for EPMA that should load a specified .PCC file for the Filament Standby" option from the Automate! window:

https://probesoftware.com/smf/index.php?topic=42.msg8869#msg8869

Just update from the Help menu, edit your probewin.ini file and you should be good to go.
john

PS This new .PCC (probe column condition) file load feature for filament standby after automation should work for all JEOL 8900/8200/8500 and Cameca SX100/SXFive EPMA instruments.   

[theo_nt]

Hi John,
Well in the Automate the standby function works, it doesn’t work when using the ProbeImage. Is there any possibility to implement the standby after finishing a long X-ray mapping?

Theo

[John Donovan]

Hi John,
Well in the Automate the standby function works, it doesn’t work when using the ProbeImage. Is there any possibility to implement the standby after finishing a long X-ray mapping?

Theo

Hi Theo,
Yes that is correct.  The filament standby feature only works from Probe for EPMA. But if you're doing quant mapping you might want to run a final set of standards to correct for standard drift.  So just run Probe Image from Probe for EPMA as described here:

https://probesoftware.com/smf/index.php?topic=42.msg3650#msg3650

And after Probe Image finishes, Probe for EPMA will (optionally) re-run the standards and then (optionally) load the filament standby PCC file.
john

[sem-geologist]

Theo,

Why do you want to set Xhi to 999 for stand-by?

Were you considering an alternative? You see with 999 on Xhi the beam will be hitting some graphite wall of the tube, also C2 4000 is quite powerful field. Actually with Xhi 999, you even don't need to touch the C2 as beam will not make to the C2 aperture.

Two years ago we were using C2 4000 for our "standby" (TaskEnd) procedure, but we had moved to recommended by Cameca C2 2500 as that is closer to 1900 (around this C2 value the most commonly used 20nA current is produced with all apertures). We had noticed that the smaller C2 difference, when switching the currents, the lesser drift of current appears -- condensers needs time to stabilize.

For our standby procedure we do not deflect beam, but "park" the beam on the 0,0,0 position of the stage, thus beam is not hitting neither Faraday plate, neither the tube wall - with such procedure We got so clean column that after 1.5 year of our previous tip life, when service was exchanging the tip and opening the column - engineer was highly surprised how clean the tube was (previously, it was dirty like hell, when beam was been left deflected). Beam is also deflected by closing EP6 automatically. (and we were closing EP6 as TaskEnd previously, now we leave it open)

[theo_nt]

Hi,

The C2 will go to 2000 if you set Xhi to 999. The main reason for doing it is just to avoid as much as possible the contamination of the two Faraday plates responsible for beam deflection in the Faraday cup. Contaminated plates will result in what we call the "banana effect", which affects the quality of the X-ray mappings (linear elements will became curved). Using Xhi 999 most of the current will not go through the tube, which will reduce the contamination of the Faraday plates. We do not deflect the beam to the Faraday cup at all when the beam is in standby mode.

Theo